Chapter 51: The Overweight Gemstone

Dachun felt a mixture of surprise and joy. Instantly looted! An artifact-grade material dropped! And it even rewarded a formidable folk skill!

What shocked him was that this had to trigger a system announcement as well? But there was no way any other player could possibly see the announcement in this remote area, right?

The next moment, the dead slime's body rapidly expanded into foam, and the entire muddy pool violently gasified as if a massive amount of swamp gas had been released. The expanding pressure of the blast spat Dachun out from the bottom of the water, up to the surface, and without stopping, shot him all the way toward the mine tunnel!

What the hell! Dachun finally understood why that slime's speed had been so terrifyingly fast when it first appeared!

Elena was even more overjoyed: "So much resentment! My Necromancer's Ring is absorbing the resentment!"

Dachun, having confirmed that the Sea Soul's protection would prevent him from dying and dropping gear, finally began to assess the spoils of this battle, and was immediately shocked!

Weight: 100? A tiny little gem was actually a hundred times heavier than gold! Damn it, if he hadn't been blasted out, just based on this weight alone, he might not have been able to float, and probably would have suffocated and died at the bottom of the pool, dropping his gear!

However, Elena seemed utterly lost in the absorption of resentment, unable to extricate herself: "Oh my, the resentment is about to spew right out of the cave entrance, what a waste!"

He feared it was more than just a waste; if this much resentment sprayed across the island, those guys might become even worse, and the blacksmith might even turn dark once again.

Dachun tried activating this core's so-called gravitational field to see if it could adsorb and block the outflow.

——System Prompt: Warning! Your current stamina is depleted. Activating the core will prioritize the consumption of Illusion Points...

The next moment, Dachun clearly felt the surrounding water vapor slow down!

Then, there was gas on the inner layer, water on the middle layer, and mud forming a ring on the outermost layer, creating three concentric circles. Dachun felt like he looked exactly like Saturn!

So, the slime was born and formed with this as its core?

However, gravity! Such a high-and-mighty attribute, this core—which was a hundred times heavier than magic gold and had given birth to a super slime with a hundred years of cultivation—was it really just an artifact material? This was obviously much higher-grade than the three-in-one artifact material of the Volcanic Giant Lizard. Or could this be what was often mentioned in fantasy novels—a Godhead?

A Godhead!

The mere thought of it made Dachun unable to control his excitement: "Elena, do you know—"

No! Better not ask her! She was already too greedy; once she knew this was a Godhead, would she get other ideas? Besides, she might not even know about something so high-end; better not alert her for now!

In short, while his Illusion Points still lasted, he had to figure out a way to use that outer ring of mud to seal off the mine exit and prevent the toxic resentment from spewing out...

Just as Dachun was desperately plastering the mud, the blacksmith's shout came from the mine tunnel entrance: "Lord Mayor! We've come to welcome your victory!"

We? You came at the right time!

Dachun immediately shouted: "Are there a lot of you? Hurry up and dig the mine entrance to collapse and seal it, or move some rocks! We can't let the slime's poisonous gas out."

The blacksmith shouted: "Received! Everyone hurry up! Anyone slow gets beaten!"

"Leave a gap for me to get out!"

"Understood!"

Finally, Dachun's Illusion Points were exhausted, and then his maximum stamina and maximum health began to decrease! What the hell! Wasn't this the exact same symptom as catching the plague? It was so overbearing; it definitely was a Godhead!

Dachun panicked: "Old Iron, is it ready yet?"

The blacksmith did not disappoint him: "Left a gap for you, hurry out!"

Dachun then deactivated the core, and the surrounding ring of mud instantly lost control, flinging Dachun toward the tunnel entrance. The blacksmith's arm reached out from the opening and grabbed Dachun, hauling him in: "Still heavy?"

Damn, even this was noticed?

"As soon as you pull me out, seal the tunnel completely too! Don't let a single bit of gas leak out!"

"Understood!"

Elena, however, was exceptionally excited: "Yes, yes, wait until the ring digests and absorbs it, then dig a tiny slit to keep absorbing the resentment."

At that moment, Dachun saw flashing lights in the distant sea; it was clear the captain was ready.

Dachun immediately changed the subject: "I'm going out to sea to find that ship later, you guys carry on with your games."

The blacksmith also glanced at those lights: "Looks a bit like pirates, will you be okay going over there?"

To someone from your era, of course they looked like pirates! Previously he was only worried about the two sacred artifact rings, but now with a Godhead gem added to the mix, he absolutely could not take even a sliver of risk.

Dachun was very gratified: "So once we get back to the street, I'll come to your blacksmith shop to discuss an important matter."

"Understood."

Talking to Old Iron was effortless!

Finally, amidst the busy efforts of the ghostly citizens, the mine entrance was completely sealed shut. Relying on the Silver City's blessing and the buff from drinking, Dachun recovered some stamina and could walk again.

The crowd of ghosts escorted him from behind, laughing wildly.

Was this successfully establishing authority? Dachun was very pleased: "Are you guys convinced or not?"

The ghosts laughed and said: "Convinced, convinced! The Lord Mayor is awesome!"

Dachun felt something was off: "Just you guys are convinced? What about the others?"

The ghosts burst into wild laughter again: "They all lost their bets, they are extremely, extremely unconvinced!!"

Damn it! It was obvious that more people had bet on him losing; did this trip end up offending even more people? But whatever, having this small group of supporters was already a huge step forward.

Sure enough, as soon as he returned to the street, curses filled the air.

Dachun asked helplessly: "What on earth did you guys bet on?"

Please don't tell me you bet your real estate!

The ghosts laughed loudly: "The losers have to cover an extra shift for 1 day!"

What the hell, are you crazy? There were no shifts to begin with, so how could there be winners or losers?

Arriving at the blacksmith shop, Dachun first had Elena activate her radar to ensure the pet was not nearby.

Then Dachun solemnly took out the Forging Ring and the Adsorption Core—he had to admit, the moment he pulled out the core, his hand lost its footing under the heavy weight!

"I'm going out to sea and worried about the safety of my property, help me keep it safe!"

The blacksmith flatly refused: "I don't offer storage services!"

Damn it! As expected, NPCs didn't have a storage feature!

Calm down, just like when Shirley worked as a flower shop clerk and didn't have a gift-receiving mechanic, he could still circumnavigate it by triggering hidden events.

Dachun hurriedly asked: "Then do you know any reliable storage personnel?"

The blacksmith said in a deep voice: "I know a few bank custodians, but they're ghosts now, so they're unreliable."

Dachun sighed: "Do we have to fulfill their mortal wishes to turn them into benevolent spirits?"

The blacksmith also sighed: "They were unreliable even when they were alive."

Fine, the whole island was full of ghosts, he hadn't counted on anyone else anyway.

Dachun continued looking for a breakthrough: "Then how about I commission you to inlay this gem into a ring and upgrade it to an artifact?"

As long as he accepted the commission, the materials would naturally be in his hands, which was equivalent to safekeeping.

The blacksmith still shook his head: "Gem inlaying is a jeweler's business, I can't do that!"

Dachun asked again: "Is there a jeweler on the island?"

"Xiaocui is, but she's a ghost, and only at the expert level."

Another talent discovered!

Dachun grew interested: "How come she's only an expert?"

The blacksmith shook his head with emotion: "Jewelers need a large amount of precious jewelry to practice on, making it the hardest profession to level up. It has always been a noble profession, and she was merely an assistant of fallen noble birth."

Doesn't matter, an expert back then was equivalent to today's watered-down master!

Dachun displayed the gem once more: "Old Iron, try feeling how heavy this gem is!"

The blacksmith tried supporting Dachun's palm and was instantly dumbfounded: "This is a drop from the slime?"

Dachun wanted to hear his appraisal: "It's very precious, right?"

The blacksmith was filled with awe: "Although I'm not very knowledgeable about gems, I know this kind of gem is unheard of. If Xiaocui could manage to inlay it, she might just break through to become a master!"

Dachun said: "But I also know that gem inlaying is extremely precise work, and with a gem this heavy, she won't even be able to lift it to operate—so Old Iron needs to build her the corresponding lifting equipment! Therefore, this matter still involves you, you have to accept my commission!"

The blacksmith trembled all over, then burst into laughter: "The Lord Mayor is truly interesting, come on, I'll take you to Xiaocui!"

The detour was a success!

Thus, the two of them found Xiaocui in front of a dilapidated counter in a ruined building, pretending to work—a short, round ghost emitting black smoke all over!

Dachun couldn't believe it: "You are Xiaocui?"

The ghost said with extreme impatience: "Call me Madam Trixina!"

Damn, with that name and body shape, she actually had a bit of aristocratic aura?

The blacksmith said in a deep voice: "I'll hammer you!"

Xiaocui instantly cowered: "Brother Tie, please speak!"

"Inlay this gem for the Lord Mayor! It's very heavy, go ahead and pick it up!"

Xiaocui trembled so hard her ghostly aura shook: "This gem—"

She grabbed it and almost tumbled to the ground!

Xiaocui was shocked: "Inlaying is a precision art, how is something this heavy even possible?"

The blacksmith said: "Whatever tools and equipment are needed, I'll forge them!"

Xiaocui was dumbfounded: "I only know how to inlay, what do I know about building equipment?"

What the hell? Dachun decided to play big: "Then gather all the carpenters, tailors, maintenance workers, porters, blueprint designers, and even the glass wipers from the tavern across the whole island, and let's all brainstorm! How about that?"

Xiaocui nodded repeatedly: "Fine! Anyway, my only job is the inlaying; if the precision isn't enough, I'll just say it can't be done!"

The blacksmith laughed: "You're starting to look a bit like a mayor now, huh? Interesting, let's go find them!"

Dachun was pressed for time to practice boating: "I'm leaving the item with you, I commission you to handle this matter entirely!"

The blacksmith no longer hesitated: "Leave it to me!"

Success!

Dachun boarded the small boat at the dock, listening to the bustling noise of the town recruiting people, and set sail toward the distant lights of the sea with a sense of relief.

Elena sighed: "Can they really find materials from these ruins and design equipment?"

Dachun pointed out: "Actually, whether there are results isn't important; the important thing is that the item is in his hands! But if there really are results, it means a single gem was used to unearth the island's talents and drive the entire island's industrial chain! The key is that I also get an extra artifact—perfect!"

Elena scoffed: "Have you thought about this? This gem weighs 100. Inlaying it on armor or a weapon makes some sense, but if you inlay it on a ring, will your finger even be able to move or lift?"

Damn it! There was a flaw!

Dachun's cheerful mood instantly turned into something indescribable. Probably, hoping they wouldn't succeed wasn't very kind. He could only... practice the One-Finger Zen? This game had high freedom, didn't it? And he had Mining Mastery, so his hand dexterity was extraordinary, right?